Clean Lines (Cedar Tree #4) (19 page)

I had been expecting a reprimand for not willingly giving up Naomi's whereabouts to my colleagues from Phoenix, especially after I'd already pissed them off by being too interested in James Miller's disappearance. What I didn't expect was to be put on suspension pending further investigation. Someone obviously has a hard-on for me.

Driving home, still reeling from the blow and needing some time to clear my head, I get a call from Emma telling me to get my ass over to Cedar Tree because Gus is facing off with two Phoenix detectives who have Naomi in cuffs. My own woes instantly forgotten, I turn my truck around and break every speed limit getting here, but the guesthouse is empty and neither Fox nor Naomi are anywhere to be found.

"They're out in the fields," Emma says from behind me as I stomp through her house into the GFI offices, hoping to find her there. "Gus and Naomi; they're out there looking for Fox."

I shake my head, not quite computing the information. "Sorry. I don't get it."

"Fox took off. Or at least they think he did. He was gone from the bedroom when one of the detectives went looking for him and later Naomi. She thinks he went through the bathroom window. The two from Phoenix were called off and are gone now, but he hasn't come back. He left his cell in the kitchen, so he doesn't have that with him and they were calling around the edge of the field for him, but no response yet." Emma looks at me with worry all over her face, so I grab hold of her hand and pull here into a brief hug.

"Sorry for barging in on you like that. I promise we’ll find the boy. Let me go out there and look around."

"Okay, but just so you know, I called Neil and he's on his way over to help. Mal is out of town on that job Gus was supposed to go on, but I didn't call Caleb. Should I?"

"Leave Caleb for now. They have enough to worry about with the little one. If things change we can always call him in. Thanks Emma. Gus is a lucky man," I tell her with a quick kiss to her forehead before I head out the backdoor and start for the fields.

I've stayed in the immediate vicinity of the guesthouse, scouring the ground underneath the bathroom window—even though I'm sure that was likely the first thing Gus would've done—and checking anywhere for prints or signs of a possible struggle. I found an area right by the edge of the trees on the side of the cornfield, about ten feet in that looked like it had been recently stirred up. Right now Neil is going over it with a fine-tooth comb. 

With Fox gone for over two and a half hours now and no sign of Naomi and Gus, other than his text a few minutes ago saying
'coming back,
' I don't really have a good feeling about this. Thank God Doc is on her way back here. I need to feel her in my arms. It won't take away the nagging worry about Fox, but it will at least take away the uneasy feeling I have when I'm not around her. This day could not get more fucked up.

Voices at the edge of the field alert me to their approach and the moment I see her shiny brown hair coming out of the cornstalks I stalk over, my eyes only for her. I just have time to register the fatigue around her eyes and the tightness of her mouth before I have her up off the ground, safely in my arms. Hers cling tightly around my neck, her head burrowing there too.

"So glad you're here," her voice breaks as she mumbles against my skin.

My eyes search for Gus, and aside from the slight shake of his head, our entire conversation is held in silence, conveyed only by our eyes. Years and years of friendship and working together will do that.

Neil, who must've heard their return as well, joins us, but as he is about to launch into a description of the spot we think we found, I cut him off with a look. My girl needs some attention and some food first and then we can discuss details. I'm not about to keep what we found from her, but first I need to get a little of the strain off her face. I'm still holding her, her legs are wrapped around my waist and she clings to me like a monkey, as we turn to head back in the direction of the house. Emma is in the door of her kitchen, looking at our procession, wiping at her eyes with her apron.

"I'm sure Emma has food for an army by now. Get yourselves cleaned up and come over. We'll plan then," Gus says, putting a hand on Naomi's back. "Got a smart kid, Doc, and a bunch of fucking smart men on your side. He doesn't come back, we'll find him. He can't come back on his own, we'll go get him. Either way, your boy's coming home."

A final nod at me and he's off with Neil on his heels.

I'm worried about the woman in my arms.

"Come on, honey. We're gonna grab a quick shower."

She doesn't even say anything when I carry her into the bathroom. Deja vu. The only difference being that this is her bathroom, not mine. Actually, she also doesn't seem quite as out of it as she was that first time. At least she's looking at me and stands straight as I strip her down. I quickly throw off my own clothes and step in with her under the warm spray. A quick soap and rinse, that's all.

"Do you think he has him?" Her voice is low and rough, as if she has to force the words out.

"Heffler? It's doubtful. He may still be off somewhere on his own, scared at what he may have overheard. Upset about his father's death."

"I thought that at first, but I don't believe for one minute he wouldn't leave word for me somehow. If he overheard what was going on, he would've been worried about me. He would've tried to go for help. He could've gone to Emma and Gus. Why didn't he? It makes no sense."

She's right of course. She voices everything I've been thinking already. There isn't a fucking thing I can say to her right now. I'd just be guessing at things, making up more possible scenarios when the ones I have going through my mind now are disturbing enough.

After making sure we are both rinsed off, I step out of the shower and grab a towel from the shelf, holding it open for her. I'm trying not to notice the blush from the hot shower on her tempting curves, but my cock has other ideas. Her eyes briefly come to rest on my groin before quickly raising to meet mine. She immediately starts drying herself vigorously while I grab a towel for myself. Some of the tightness is gone around her mouth and at least she's communicating instead of falling apart. My girl is so much tougher than she gives herself credit for. It's been a hell of a day... for all of us.

"Beautiful, it's been a matter of hours at this point and I know that Gus is on the phone right now calling in every favor he can. As soon as we're dressed, I'm calling the Cortez Chief of Police who may not be a close friend necessarily, but he owes me a favor or two. The entire county will be on the lookout."

"Thank you," she says softly, the ghost of a small distracted smile on her lips.

"Don't thank me. I care for your boy and honey, you've gotta know how deep you are under my skin by now."

Who am I kidding? She's not just under my skin, she's in my heart. But this isn't the time for such declarations.

Once dressed, we head over to the main house. It's been only fifteen minutes, give or take, since I carried Naomi in the house, but with it being so late in the season, the sun goes down earlier each day and the temperature drops dramatically. Despite both of us wearing sweaters, the chill is noticeable. I put my arm around Naomi's shoulder and tuck her in against my body.

"He must be cold," she says, shivering slightly under my hand.

"He's bright. I'd like to think he's found shelter or is keeping warm somehow."

A single nod is my only response.

Emma's seen us coming 'cause she's at the door waving us in. Both Gus and Neil are sitting at the counter with bowls of some kind of soup and a big plate of sandwiches in front of them.

"Pull up a stool and I'll grab you some bowls. Fresh chicken noodle soup and a few sandwiches; I thought simple would do the trick. Y'all have to eat something. Can I get you a drink?" Emma directs her attention at Naomi, who hesitates at the door. With a little nudge at the small of her back I get her moving further into the kitchen.

"Just some water for me, Emma, thanks." Her voice is soft but steady.

"I'll have the same, unless you've got coffee on the go." I smile at Emma who has returned to the opposite side of the counter, her favorite spot in the house.

"Boys wanted coffee too, so I have some. Black—right, Joe?"

"Please."

Taking the stool next to Naomi has her wedged in between Gus and I, and when Emma slides a bowl of soup in front of her, and she tries to refuse, I see him lean over to her.

"Gotta eat, girl. Keep your strength up. It's light fare, so just try a few bites; maybe a couple of bites of a sandwich too. No one is served by you collapsing, right?"

Knowing Gus is just trying to look out for her, I'm curbing the urge to step in for her. Judging from the scathing look she throws him through slitted eyelids, she doesn't really need my help. My feisty Doc is present and accounted for. Thank God.

"Not a child, Gus. I'll eat, okay?" she bites out through tight lips before turning to her bowl of soup and demonstratively shoveling a spoonful in her mouth. Only to wave her hand in front of her face hissing and blowing. "Fuck me. That's hot."

"Could've blown on it first, maybe?" This from Neil who's chuckling on the other side of Gus.

"Thanks smartass. I'll take it under advisement for my next go around." Naomi gulps down her glass of water as I smile seeing her spunky side return.

Gus fills us in on the phone calls he's made, and Neil explains he's been able to find two distinctly different footprints just inside the tree line but aside from some evidence of a recent scuffle judging by the torn up soil and snapped and twisted branches, there wasn't much concrete information. He has made high-resolution images of the prints though, and plans to do some research on the type of shoes they may have come from.

"So it would seem that everyone is in agreement he appears to have been taken?" Naomi puts it out there, straightening her back as she does it.

"Looks like he may have left on his own accord but was picked up shortly after and not far from the house. What's most concerning is that not only was the Phoenix PD able to locate you without my input, but someone else was as well," I point out.

"Afraid I already might have the answer to the first one," Gus says with a brief look at me before turning his eyes to Naomi. "Had a brief call before we sat down, with my buddy in Phoenix.  Just so you know, the two detectives who were here will be disciplined for their actions. They broke protocol on every level. He found out his guys went to Cortez Memorial and talked to the hospital administrator."

I feel sick to my stomach. My fucking mistake with Jenna was coming back to haunt me big time. That miserable bitch.

"I quit! That fucking hateful Barbie bitch! She's done nothing but make my life absolute hell since Joe's shown an interest. I'm so done with this." Already off her stool, Naomi goes straight for the backdoor. With her hand on the doorknob she turns to me. "Don't know what the hell you were thinking, Joe, getting with that mean-spirited piece of plastic. At my place of work and under my fucking nose!"

With that she storms out the door and only Gus's hand on my shoulder holds me back from taking off after her.

"Let Emma. Neil will keep an eye on them. Let her cool down buddy. This is all emotion coming out."

I stand there like a fucking idiot watching Emma and Neil follow Naomi to the guesthouse. What a colossal fuck up. I can't blame her; if not for my stupidity, her son wouldn't be missing. Simple as that. I chuckle bitterly when I think that a few hours ago I thought the day couldn't get any worse.

Gus slaps his arm around my shoulders and guides me down the hall to the GFI office where he pulls out a bottle of scotch. When I put up my hand in refusal, he shoves it aside.

"One shot to take the sting off, my friend. Then we put the bottle away and get Fox back."

It's frustrating when suddenly you have no jurisdiction, no power.

For the last half hour I managed to get a hold of the Cortez Chief of Police who promises to put as many men on the search as he can spare and put a BOLO out for all the patrols, but not without giving me a hard time about what he's picked up from the rumor mill. Fucking hell. Already? Haven't had a chance to drop that bomb on Naomi and frankly after what happened earlier, I'm not sure it'd be a good idea. 

Of course the Cortez PD generally refers to the Sheriff's Office for anything outside of their city limits, but this time it squeezes by because of the possible connection to the attack on Michael Vincent. Personally I doubt it. I'd be more inclined to think Heffler would be a more likely candidate to be behind this, but I'm not gonna argue.

I also wanted to call and tear a strip off Jenna, but Gus says he'll take care of that. Probably. I can't promise that my vow never to hurt a woman is going to hold with this one.

Calling the Sheriff's Office is out of the question for me, that much was made clear to me this morning. I am not to have contact with my staff or have access to any of the files in my office or on my computer, so Gus ends up calling Carol and puts her on speakerphone. She sounds pretty pissed and even though she knows very well I am on the other side listening, she makes it a point to say loudly, "You tell my sheriff we'll get this shit cleared up in no time. You hear me, Gus? Damn place is going to hell in a hand basket when they suspend a man for protecting his own damn family. Bunch of paper pushers!" The last was said with such vehemence, as if it were the absolute worst insult you could bestow on a man, so much so that Gus and I both burst out laughing. A diamond, my Carol, and in her way, she lets us know clearly that she is being monitored... and not liking it one bit.